The Southern Fire Exchange disseminates fire research results and information through fact sheets, the Fire Lines newsletter, webinar summaries, presentations, and research syntheses. The topics covered in SFE products are identified through needs assessments, surveys, and by the SFE Advisory Board. SFE also works with partners to identify critical fire science research needs for the Southern region.
What’s news and noteworthy? Check out our latest fire science research posts and fire news blog posts. In addition to the fact sheets and webinar summaries below, check out the SFE Regional Fire Science Publication Database to search for primary literature sources. Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Check out our curated list of fire science libraries. Do you like podcasts? Listen to full episodes of our “Friends of Fire” podcast featuring conversations with fire scientists and land managers. Are you looking for inspiration? Check out our Fire Science Success Stories that tell how fire science and management are working together to solve problems. Do you have a research tip or story to share? Contact us!
Publications and Fact Sheets
- Bees and fire: How does fire in longleaf pine savannas affect bee communities? (2022)
This SFE fact sheet produced in partnership with the University of Florida / IFAS Extension explores the impacts of fire on native bees in the southeastern US. The fact sheet includes discussion of prescribed burning strategies that can support bee populations. - Using Fire to Manage for Oak Regeneration in Eastern and Southeastern U.S. Oak-Hardwood Ecosystems (2022-2)
Eastern and Southeastern oak-hardwood ecosystems have a complex relationship with fire. This fact sheet features text and original artwork that synthesize recent research on Eastern and Southeastern oak regeneration management options. - Thriving on Fire: The Resilient Longleaf Pine (2021)
The longleaf pine can be a resilient tree that can survive wildfires, winds, insect attacks and more. Managing longleaf pine stands with prescribed fire maximizes their resilience to disturbance. This factsheet was produced and published in partnership with the America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative. - Terrestrial Invasive Plants and Fire (2019-2)
Invasive plants complicate management on lands where fire is used to maintain native communities. Invasive species can make it difficult to achieve prescribed fire objectives (for example, by changing fire intensity and fuel continuity), especially when they are resilient to fire. - An Introduction to Fire and Soil Carbon (2019-1)
Fire can impact soil carbon in many ways. This fact sheet summarizes recent research from the Southeast on the mechanisms and processes known to affect soil carbon pools and fluxes. - Quail, Turkey, and Deer: Fire Effects and Management Recommendations (2018-8)
Managers can maintain a balance between recent burns that support foraging and denser areas that provide habitat for wildlife. - Management Implications from the Fire Ecology Journal Special Issue on Fire in Wetlands (2013-7)
This special issue of the journal Fire Ecology included many articles with research results that may be of interest to managers that work in wetland ecosystems. This author-reviewed document briefly summarizes the management implications and take-home messages of each article in the special issue. - Smoldering Combustion in Organic Soils: Peat and Muck Fires in the Southeastern US (2012-9)
This document summarizes research and key findings related to smoldering combustion in ground fires and discusses human and environmental hazards, as well as ecological effects of these fires. - Cypress Mortality Following Wildfires: Information and Recommendations for Fire and Natural Resource Managers (2012-4)
This fact sheet highlights the role and effects of fire in cypress swamps for natural resource managers and summarizes findings from a 2011 study on the effects of wildfire on cypress mortality. - Nests Under Fire: Does it Matter? Growing-season Burns and Ground-nesting Birds (2011-5)
Burning during the growing season expands the window for completing annual burn plans and mimics natural fire regimes in much of the South. However, there is concern for impacting birds that nest on or close to the ground. This fact sheet summarizes recent publications on the effects of growing-season burns on ground-nesting birds.
- Accessing Wildland Fire Research: A Guide for Fire Practitioners (2022-1)
This fact sheet provides a summary of resources, tools, and programs available to track and discover new wildland fire science research information and results. This fact sheet was produced in partnership with the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network. - Commonly Referenced Wildland Fire Initiatives, Programs, and Networks (2016-3)
This fact sheet provides brief descriptions of some of the most common wildland fire initiatives, programs, networks, and other efforts taking place around the country. - Fire Effects Information System (2015-2)
The Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) includes summaries and reviews on life history, general ecology, and fire ecology and effects for over 1,100 plant and animal species. This fact sheet shares instructions for locating information for a particular species and for searching other FEIS reviews, such as fire studies and fire regime syntheses. - Fire Science Continuing Education Opportunities for Natural Resource and Fire Managers (2014-6)
This short document is designed as a start to help natural resource and fire managers understand where to turn for fire ecology training in the southeast. - Joint Fire Science Program’s Firescience.gov (2012-3)
This fact sheet describes key components of the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) website, www.firescience.gov, which is a free-access wildland fire science information resource providing research summaries and project findings. - FRAMES and the Southern Fire Portal (2012-2)
The Fire Research and Management Exchange System, FRAMES, is a unique website aimed at information exchange and technology transfer among all wildland fire stakeholders. This fact sheet describes the FRAMES website and the Southern Fire Portal, where you can find fire information related to the southern United States. - Encyclopedia of Southern Fire Science (2012-1)
The Encyclopedia of Southern Fire Science is a web-based resource containing approximately 600 webpages of peer-reviewed fire science knowledge about the southern United States. This fact sheet contains a brief description of the encyclopedia and tips for using it. - Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Database (2011-3)
The E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database is an online tool that efficiently searches thousands of bibliographic records. This fact sheet contains a brief description of the extensive database, tips for using it, and where to go for more information.
- Hurricane and Tropical Storm Impacts on Prescribed Fire and Wildfire Management Practices (2022)
This SFE fact sheet produced in collaboration with the University of Florida / IFAS explains how severe storms impact prescribed fire and wildfire management and key considerations for working in post-storm conditions. - Prescribed Fire in Georgia: Frequently Asked Questions (2021-2)
This fact sheet provides answers to some of the most common questions about prescribed fire in Georgia. - Recent Research on Perceived Risks, Legal Liabilities, and Insurance Coverage Associated with Prescribed Burning on Private Lands (2020-2)
This fact sheet looks at research related to prescribed fire liability perceptions, real risks, and strategies for minimizing prescribed fire risks on private lands in the South. - Reintroducing Fire Into Long-Unburned Pine Stands: The Duff Problem (2018-4)
In many areas throughout the South, long-term fire exclusion (one to several decades) has changed pineland communities by allowing thick layers of duff to accumulate. Thick duff layers pose a unique challenge to fire managers wishing to restore natural fire regimes. - Relationships Among Wildfire, Prescribed Fire and Drought at Fort Benning, Georgia (2018-1)
Prescribed fire is an important tool for meeting multiple management objectives such as reducing fuels and improving wildlife habitat. Most natural resource and fire managers believe that the risks of wildfire are often reduced by recent fires, and a growing body of research has shown this to be the case. - Planning for Habitat: The Importance of Assessing Functional Groups in Longleaf Pine Understories (2017-2)
This fact sheet synthesizes recent research in Florida and Georgia that investigated the results of longleaf pine ecosystem restoration projects on understory plant functional groups. Research shows that longleaf pine restoration projects may not fully restore plant diversity or species important for wildlife habitat. - What the Research Says: Prescribed Fire and Wildfire Risk Reduction (2017-1)
Researchers have been studying how prescribed fire influences wildfire in pine flatwoods ecosystems for more than 50 years. This 2-page fact sheet summarizes five studies that approached this topic from various angles and arrived at similar conclusions: Prescribed fire reduces wildfire risk, intensity, and size in southern pine flatwoods ecosystems, but for a relatively short time. - The Value of Forming a Prescribed Burn Association (2016-2)
This fact sheet introduces Prescribed Burn Associations and explains how they can help their members overcome obstacles to prescribed burning such as liability, capacity, training and experience, and resources. - Mechanical Treatments in Pine Flatwoods: A Temporary Rearrangement of Fuel Structure (2015-1)
This fact sheet provides a summary of recent research that investigated the impacts of mechanical “mowing” treatments for managing understory fuels in pine flatwoods. - Mechanical Treatments and Herbicides as Fire Surrogates: State of the Science in Florida Ecosystems (2014-5)
This fact sheet summarizes key points and management implications from a Florida Scientist article, which reviewed more than 18 research studies and 112 publications on mechanical treatments and herbicides. - Vegetation Treatment Options and Management Objectives: A Case Study in Longleaf Pine (2014-4)
This fact sheet reviews research from South Carolina investigating the effects of prescribed fire, herbicide, and mechanical fuel treatments on various key management objectives in an upland longleaf pine site. - Offline Maps for Wildland Fire and Natural Resource Management: Custom GPS Enabled Maps on a Mobile Device (2014-3)
This fact sheet provides detailed instructions for exporting custom GPS enabled maps from ArcGIS that can be used on a mobile device (smart phone or tablet) in remote locations without cellular data connections. - Stakeholder Priorities for Deciding Where to Burn (2011-7)
This study investigated the differences in practitioners’ and non-practitioners’ perceptions of fire management in eastern North Carolina, where a partnership has been established to promote prescribed burning in the longleaf pine ecosystem. These results, reported in Ecology and Society, provide insight into the different perspectives that stakeholder groups bring to prioritizing sites for prescribed burning. Understanding these priorities can facilitate collaborative burn projects—helping partners to meet their fire management objectives.
Dale Wade Series
This series of fact sheets are authored by Dale Wade, a prescribed burn researcher and specialist in the South for over 45 years. They are designed to meld current technology with Dale’s unequaled experience with fire and science. The Southern Fire Exchange thanks Dale for these contributions from his wit and wisdom, which, in Dale’s words, “was sharpened by the many people he worked with over the years.”
- Flame Descriptors (2013-6)
- Fuel Moisture and Prescribed Burning (2013-5)
- Fire Intensity and Fire Severity: How Hot Is Your Fire and Why Is That Important? (2013-4)
- Ignition Devices for Prescribed Burning (2013-3)
- Backfire Technique for Prescribed Burning (2013-2)
Publications by SFE Partners
- Fuel Load Estimation Guide
South Carolina Forestry Commission has developed an easy guide to help prescribed burners in South Carolina determine fuel loads are on a site. - Fuel Treatments in Pine Flatwoods: A Photo Series Guide
This guide is designed to assist land managers in estimating the recovery and growth of characteristic understory conditions in pine flatwoods forests of the Southern Coastal Plain. - National Prescribed Fire Use Survey Report
This report, produced by the National Association of State Foresters and the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils, shares findings from a national prescribed fire use survey. The report outlines national and regional prescribed fire activity, state prescribed fire programs, and impediments limiting prescribed fire use.
- Commonly Referenced Wildland Fire Initiatives, Programs, and Networks (2016-3)
This fact sheet provides brief descriptions of some of the most common wildland fire initiatives, programs, networks, and other efforts taking place around the country. - Communication and Delivery of Prescribed Fire Messaging: Lessons from a Prescribed Fire Communications Summit (2015-3)
This 2-page document summarizes a 2015 workshop of prescribed fire professionals from across the Southeast and presents a list of “Seven Best Practices for Prescribed Fire Communication” that was developed at the summit. - Case Studies on the Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Public Health (2012-8)
To provide insight on the health effects of exposure to wildland fire smoke, this fact sheet briefly describes the pollutants in wildland fire smoke and then summarizes five studies that have documented health effects of wildland fire smoke in the United States, Canada, and Australia. - Economic Impacts of Wildfire (2012-7)
This fact sheet shares results from two studies to illustrate economic impacts that reach beyond the primary indicators of suppression costs and homes lost. This information can help public officials, community leaders, and local citizens understand the larger wildfire impacts on economies and society. - Effects of Prescribed Fire and Wildfire: Frequently Asked Questions from Florida (2012-6)
This fact sheet offers helpful answers for general questions that the public may have about prescribed burning in Florida and contains information and resources that can be more widely used in most southern states. - Effects of Prescribed Fire and Wildfire: Frequently Asked Questions from North Carolina (2012-5)
This fact sheet offers helpful answers for general questions that the public may have about prescribed burning in North Carolina and contains information and resources that can be more widely used in most southern states. - Infographic: Conduct a Wildfire Safety Home Checkup
A wildfire safety home checkup can reduce the arrangement and accumulation of hazardous fuels around buildings. SFE supported the development of this 2020 infographic produced by the University of Florida.
- UF/IFAS EDIS Fact Sheet: Where There’s Fire, There’s Smoke: Air Quality and Prescribed Burning in Florida
Updated in 2022 by SFE staff and collaborators, this University of Florida fact sheet provides a summary of the impacts of prescribed fire smoke and opportunities for responsible smoke management. - Webinar Summary: Potential Impacts of Prescribed Fire Smoke on Air Quality, Public Health, and Socially Vulnerable Populations in the Southeastern US
Recorded August 2021, this webinar discusses research showing that while prescribed fire is beneficial to air quality overall in terms of wildfire risk reduction, prescribed fire smoke may cause serious health impacts, particularly to socially vulnerable groups. - Wildland Fire and Climate Change Impacts in the Southern United States (2021-1)
Climate change is impacting the Southern US and changing conditions are expected to further influence wildfires and prescribed fires in the future. This fact sheet synthesizes a wide range of recent research on climate change impacts to the Southern US. - Planned Burn (PB)-Piedmont: Predicting Overnight Smoke Conditions in Complex Terrain (2020-1)
Planned Burn (PB)-Piedmont is an online computer model that predicts the patterns of air movement during the nighttime to forecast the occurrence and accumulation of smoke and fog. - Online Tools for Weather Information (2018-7)
Two organizations, the National Weather Service (NWS) and the State Climate Office of North Carolina, have been developing web-based tools that allow anyone to explore and customize map displays of various weather elements simultaneously. - Online Tools for Planning Smoke Management (2018-5)
Mitigating smoke impacts on human health and safety is one of the challenges that landowners and agencies face when conducting prescribed burns. Particulate matter (PM) in smoke, produced by the combustion of fuels during burning, can aggravate respiratory ailments and reduce visibility along roads and near airports. - Summary of Smoke Related Joint Fire Science Program Grants Relevant to the Southeastern U.S. (2018-3)
This fact sheet summarizes smoke research relevant to the southeastern U.S. funded by the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) as presented in the publication, “A compendium of brief summaries of smoke science research in support of the Joint Fire Science Program Smoke Science Plan” (April 21, 2017). These studies fall under four general themes: emissions inventory, model validation, populations and smoke, and potential future fire and air quality. - Wildland Fire Smoke Effects on Public Health What Does the Research Say? (2018-2)
This fact sheet summarizes the progress of scientific research investigating the effects of wildland fire smoke on public health and actions individuals can take to minimize their exposure to smoke. - Superfog: State of the Science (2014-2)
This fact sheet summarizes presentations from the 2013 International Association of Wildland Fire Smoke Symposium to familiarize managers with the tools and information they can use to prepare for and determine the likelihood of superfog events. - Basic Smoke Management Practices for Prescribed Burning (2014-1)
Basic Smoke Management Practices (BSMPs) are activities that prescribed fire managers should use to reduce the amount and negative effects of smoke produced during prescribed fires. This fact sheet introduces the six BSMPs and provides a list of important resources for managing smoke - Smoke Prediction with VSMOKE (2011-6)
VSMOKE is a frequently used computer-based model for predicting concentrations of fine particulate matter and cross-plume visibility from prescribed fires. This fact sheet provides a brief overview of this model, its applicability and limitations, and describes model inputs and outputs. - Predicting Smoke Movement: User-Friendly Computer Models (2011-4)
Smoke management is one of the most important considerations in fire prescriptions. This fact sheet introduces the primary models that can be used for most prescribed fire in the South, such as Simple Smoke Screening, VSmoke, and HYSPLIT. - Situational Awareness: Nighttime Smoke and Fog on Prescribed Burns (2011-2)
Responsibility for smoke dispersal is in the hands of the burn manager. Many of the factors that impact smoke decisions are summarized in this fact sheet on nighttime smoke and fog. - Detailed Point Weather Forecasts (2011-1)
Accurate hour-by-hour forecasts are critical components of planning and managing your burns. This fact sheet explains the short, easy steps for accessing 48-hour detailed forecasts through the NOAA Fire Weather website.
Publications by SFE Partners
- Smoke Management Guidebook for Prescribed Burning in the Southern Region
This landowner smoke management guidebook was created through a collaboration between the Environmental Protection Agency, North Carolina State University, Southern Fire Exchange, Southern Regional Extension Forestry, and the University of Georgia. The goal of the guidebook is to help southeastern U.S. landowners understand smoke management for prescribed burning and various techniques that can be used to help manage the smoke that is created by prescribed fire. - Know Your Smoke: Updated Smoke Modeling Tool Estimates Higher Particulate Emissions From Wildfire Than Previously Predicted (Rocky Mountain Research Station Science You Can Use Bulletin. Issue 44. November 2020.)
Recent research shows that smoke and PM2.5 emissions from wildfires and prescribed fires have been greatly underestimated. This document summarizes new US Forest Service research and describes how the new information has been integrated into the FOFEM fire effects model. - Wildland Fire PM Emission Factor Workshop Summary
This document summarizes key findings of an air quality workshop early in 2012, organized by Tall Timbers Research Station, that focused on the current state of knowledge on particulate matter emission factors for wildland fires, and priorities for future research. Over 60 individuals from 17 organizations participated in the workshop. An excellent resource for bringing you up to date on an issue that influences fire management and policy.
- Relationships Among Wildfire, Prescribed Fire and Drought at Fort Benning, Georgia (2018-1)
Prescribed fire is an important tool for meeting multiple management objectives such as reducing fuels and improving wildlife habitat. Most natural resource and fire managers believe that the risks of wildfire are often reduced by recent fires, and a growing body of research has shown this to be the case. - What the Research Says: Prescribed Fire and Wildfire Risk Reduction (2017-1)
Researchers have been studying how prescribed fire influences wildfire in pine flatwoods ecosystems for more than 50 years. This 2-page fact sheet summarizes five studies that approached this topic from various angles and arrived at similar conclusions: Prescribed fire reduces wildfire risk, intensity, and size in southern pine flatwoods ecosystems, but for a relatively short time. - Wildfire Ignitions: State of the Science in the Southeast (2013-1)
This fact sheet extracts key findings for the southern states from a 2013 U.S. Forest Service General Technical Report that summarized current literature regarding how wildfire ignitions are produced, their predictability, and how prevention efforts can affect their occurrence.
Publications by SFE Partners
- When Wildfire Strikes: What Do I Do Now?
This article, published in the Sep-Oct 2011 issue of Forest Landowner Magazine, provides landowners with critical information regarding how to assess timber damage after a wildfire, market burned timber, assess long-term forest health, and plan for regeneration.